Effect of distributor design on particle distribution in a binary fluidised bed.

The influence of distributor design, including orifice size, number and positioning, on the behaviour of a gas-fluidised granular bed has been studied experimentally. The use of Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) to non-invasively probe the system's three-dimensional dynamics has allowed the extent of (de)fluidisation and the homogeneity of particle distribution to be quantitatively characterised. While increasing the number of orifices demonstrates a clear, positive influence on both fluidisation quality and homogeneity, the data obtained suggest that the orifice size and positioning play a more complex role. Unlabelled Image • Influence of distributor orifice size, number and position on fluidised bed dynamics investigated. • Positron emission particle tracking used to quantify extent of defluidisation and bed homogeneity. • Increasing orifice number found to increase both fluidisation quality and bed homogeneity. • Changing orifice size at fixed orifice number found to have little impact on fluidisaion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]